23 August, Lunenburg

Life gets busy. I have neglected this for so long, that I wonder if anyone is even checking in anymore. However, there are lots of photos I want to share, and some commentary on them. I have been working pretty steadily at the wharf, selling tickets to sail on the Eastern Star, a beautiful 48′ wooden ketch.

Eastern Star

I don’t think I’ve been outside so much since I did the peace walk – I do love being outside day after day. It is fun, I love working with the public, lots of people and the people I work with on the wharf are lovely. There are the skippers; Fred, who looks like an old salt with his fisherman’s cap; Will. who has been on the sea most his life; Billy, another old salt; Kevin, with his plaid shirt; and the skippers and crew on the Eastern Star, who do this in the summer but have interesting lives doing other interesting lives: a B & B, refining gold, teaching English in Asia. Other interesting people – Brian, who was a formula one driver with a European racing team, with drivers like Jackie Stewart and Gilles Villeneuve. The other women in the ticket booths have become friends, too. And some of the bonuses are fresh fish – flounder are just about jumping into the boats these days, and going out for a sail when I want.

Lighthouse at dusk

Of course, this won’t last forever, but talking around, I think I will start a bookkeeping business, with web-site editing and maintenance as an add-on. There are many self-employed and small businesses around here, and a shortage of bookkeepers. I have gathered so many skills in my checkered career path, this is one I can draw on. Something I can do at home, take as many clients as I need, do it in my jammies if I want and be comfortable.

Went to a birthday party and we played charades. Had a beautiful long walk with the same group of people along the shore. It was a hot day with no-one else on the beach, so a couple of the women and I just stripped and went skinny into the Atlantic – so refreshing, so wonderful to be in the sea and sun.

Green Bay

There was a tall ships festival here last month, and sitting on my porch in the morning, I saw the Harvey Gimlisch sailing into the harbour. What a sight.

Harvey Gimlisch

We also had the redcoats and Mounties on the wharf.

Redcoats

And then there was the evening that I was loading the sunset sail, fifteen people waiting to get on, and the skies opened up; lightening and thunder and we were all drenched. Of course, they didn’t go out, but the storm was followed by a rainbow!

Rainbow on the wharf

And no description of life on the wharf would be complete without a photo of the Bluenose.

Bluenose II

When I’m not working, I get a little lost and find new beaches. They are everywhere, and each has its own flavour. Some are very rocky, some very sandy, some gravel, some have lots of shells, others none. I have been picking up beach glass and shells and stones – they are all so irresistable and beautiful. The colours, red, blue, green, white, coral, black, striped, mottled – I can’t help stopping to see each one. And then sometimes there is a real treasure; a sand dollar or stone shaped like a heart.

sea treasures

I’ve been here just about five months, and there are people who wave when I drive past now, and people who stop in chat in the grocery. I feel connected and at home here. There is a book club at the library, and when I’m not working on a Tuesday, a knitting group at a yarn shop in Mahone Bay. Life is good.

Bella broke down about a month ago – 5000 miles here without one problem, and there I am driving to Bridgewater and she just stopped. When I restarted and thought maybe I could get to Canadian Tire, the temperature gauge shot up so I phoned AAA. Thank goodness I had my cell phone with me. They towed me back to Frank’s in Lunenburg. The bottom rad hose had split, and of course the fluid all leaked out. So he did a fix, and we waited a couple weeks to see if it will hold, and he did a test to make sure it’s not a head gasket or anything more serious. It looks like it was only the hose, but now I have to trust her again that she’ll keep going for awhile more. Aaaargh, cars. I mostly don’t need one, but when I do, I do. And to sell this and get another little putt-putt is like trading the devil you know for the devil you don’t. So I guess I’ll hang onto Bella. I will need to get snow tires and undercoating before winter, though.

That’s it for now, but I will try to be more regular keeping on the blog. It’s no longer chapter lx for me though, but chapter lxi.